Nerve injuries occur through accidents, idiopathic damage, iatrogenic injuries, compression syndromes and systemic diseases. Therefore, restoration of severed nerve pathways is desirable. One approach for restoration of severed nerve pathway is with nerve regeneration emulated by a biocompatible nerve guide conduit. To address this requirement, biologically compatible synthetic nerve guide conduits have been used to connect severed nerve stumps. The conduit can provide cues to stimulate nerve regeneration and facilitate the growth of the nerve.
Different types of biologically compatible materials have been used for the preparation of nerve guide conduits, including biodegradable and non-biodegradable biopolymers. The application of external electric current to the nerve guide conduits can expedite the nerve regeneration process. The biomaterials for nerve guide conduits have been engineered to provide electrical conductivity and electrical contacts for external manipulations of nerve growth. Conducting polymers like polypyrrole, chitosan, polyesters and cellulose have been used for preparing nerve guide conduit.